Do Not Skip The Undercard On Saturday
Right then — everyone's eyes are on the heavyweights this Saturday, and fair enough. But do yourself a favour and be in front of the telly early, because Noakes vs Berinchyk is the proper fight hiding in plain sight on the O2 bill. Sam Noakes against a former world champion is exactly the kind of matchmaking British boxing needs more of.
Noakes is 18-1 with 16 knockouts and hits like the floor. His only defeat came in that brilliant, bruising tear-up with Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight title last November — a fight that answered every question about his heart even as it went against him. He had a confidence-builder in May, and now the Maidstone man gets a name that means something.
The Berinchyk Question
And what a strange, fascinating name it is. Denys Berinchyk, 19-1 with 9 knockouts, is awkward, durable, relentless — a former WBO lightweight champion with an amateur pedigree as deep as anyone in the division. But here is the thing: the Ukrainian has not boxed since Keyshawn Davis took his belt and his unbeaten record in February 2025. That is eighteen months of inactivity, and he turns up to end it at 38 years of age, in the away corner, against the biggest puncher in the British lightweight scene.
Crossroads Fights Do Not Lie
Make no mistake — this is a crossroads fight in the truest sense. If the old Berinchyk walks to the ring, his awkward rhythm and volume could pinch rounds and drag Noakes into deep water where he has been hurt before. But eighteen months out at 38 is not a layoff, it is a retirement rehearsal, and Noakes at 28 is a fighter still on the way up.
My Prediction
Let's not beat around the bush. Berinchyk has never been stopped and he will make it ugly for as long as it lasts, but Noakes vs Berinchyk ends with the British fighter announcing himself all over again. I am taking Noakes by stoppage inside ten — the body attack does the damage, the layoff does the rest — and a win like that puts him one fight from another world title shot. Saturday at the O2, before Itauma walks. Full running order on our fight cards page.